Any Day Now
by The Dagger and The Crow
Summary: The sequel to Serendipity's holy work, "When Stars Collide", which has been removed. Darn. Anyhoose, it's Willow/Angel, and there will be Xander/Other but currently undecided and JUST READ! Takes place late Second Season.
1. Leather Car Seats Are Good

****

Title: Any Day Now

****

Author: 

****

Rating: PG-13 to R

****

Summary: It's the sequel to Serendipity's spectaular story "When Stars Collide". We kind of went bonkers and changed the plot (i.e., swerved in a completely different direction so it's hardly recognizable but the origins are still important), so cave spectator! (Some nifty Latin for those of y'all that aren't geeks.) Anyway, have fun. Read. And the story is named after the song "Any Day Now" by Bif Naked.

****

Part I

"Hey Will!" Willow turned at the exstatic voice behind her—it was Xander. "Back to school at last?"

"Yeah," Willow sighed. "I think, that after two weeks of recuperation', that I will be able to survive today."

"Good!" cried Xander. "We've missed you loads! And loads of loads!"

"Whoa, Xand, calm _down_," said Willow. "I'm _fine,"_ she insisted as Xander tried to take her backpack from her.

"C'mon, Wills, I'll walk you to class," said Xander enthusiastically, and he bounded off down the crowded hallway with Willow in tow.

That was how Willow spent the day: with Xander as her bodyguard. She couldn't shake him off. He seemed to think that if she bent over, she'd break into a billion pieces. That was how the others were with her too: Giles, Cordy and Amy were like that too. Only Buffy was relatively normal, but there was a strain as she spoke to Willow, because of what had happened with Angel.

Willow felt a little sorry that Angel had fallen in love with her—Buffy was so hurt, and after all, she had loved him first—but after Willow had given Angel back his soul, she'd gone head-over-heels for him, and he had proven to her that he felt the same.

Willow smiled a bit wistfully as she thought about their latest "dancing lesson"—Willow wanted to learn to dance, but the classes that Angel tought really didn't consist of much dancing. Just running around the house and laughing and joking, darting through beams of sunlight.

Yes, that was definitely the best part—though still a Vampire, Angel could go out into the sun, thanks to a spell Willow had cast. He had visited her every day during the two weeks she'd been home, and it was wonderful to sit out on her balcony in the sun, cradled in Angel's arms.

Willow didn't know if Buffy knew that Willow and Angel were technically going out'—they hadn't been to a dance together as officially boyfriend and girlfriend or anything, and Willow never brought up the fact that Angel saw her every day to spare Buffy the pain.

Willow glanced up at the clock. Five, four, three, two, one, she counted in her mind as the seconds ticked past, and then the bell rang. 

Willow grabbed her bag before Xander, Cordelia or Amy could pick it up for her and thanked them all.

"Listen, guys, thank you sooo much for all the . . . help you're giving me, but really, I'm not gonna break," she said gently. "I told my parents I'd come home right away, and I want to be able to carry my own stuff." 

She sighed as Cordelia's lip began to stick out in a pout and Amy crossed her arms and Xander got that hurt, puppy-dog look in his eyes. 

"Fine, fine . . . walk home with me if you _must_," she consoled them, and they all stopped their little pouting phases.

"Oooh!" said Cordelia, "We can take my car!" Willow sighed and resigned herself to being treated like a baby.

After collecting her things from her locker (or after Xander collected them), the foursome walked down the steps of the school and made towards the curb, where Cordy's car was parked. Sighing again, Willow glanced around the crowded grounds and saw a tall, black-clad figure coming towards them. 

Willow's heart leaped and she started walking towards the figure. Xander stopped, confused, and said, "wait, Wills, Cordy's car is this wa--"

He stopped still, shocked, as Angel came into clear view and walked quickly towards them. "Willow, how can he be out here in the sunlight . . .?" he began to ask, but he saw the flush in Willow's face and the frivolous grin, and shut up for the moment as Willow dropped her bags and ran towards Angel, jumping into his arms.

"Hi!" she said brightly to Angel as he wrapped his arms around her. "Come to take me home from school?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," whispered Angel in her ear. She giggled a little and pulled away, still holding his hands.

"Excuse me?" interrupted Xander rudely. "May I ask _what_ is going on?"

"How do you mean?" asked Angel, truly confused for a second, but then he saw Xander's pointed look at him and smiled. It's my birthday present," he said.

"Pardon?" said Xander.

"My birthday present was from Willow. It was a spell to let me go out during the day. See? Happy. No _poof_, no pile of ashes."

"And we're all soooo happy about this," muttered Xander. "C'mon, Wills, Cordy's in the car already and hot seats are _not_ a happy thing."

"Actually, Xand, I was thinking--"

"Angel?" said a disbelieving voice from behind them.

"Oh, hi Buffy," said Angel uncomfortably.

"What are you doing outside during the _day_?" cried Buffy.

"I'm immune," grinned Angel.

"_What_?" said Buffy.

I'm immune to sunlight," said Angel happily.

"How did this come about?" asked Buffy.

"I made him immune," piped up Willow.

"When?" asked Buffy.

"The night I . . . died . . ." said Willow, "Before I was attacked by Spike's guys, I went to the library and cast the spell for Angel. I was attacked on my way home."

"Whoa," said Xander. "Are you telling me you got yourself nearly – well, actually—killed for _this_ goonie?" He gestured wildly at Angel.

"I wasn't killed by the _spell_, Xand," Willow pointed out.

"So . . . are you guys gonna go home?" asked Buffy timidly. 

"Angel and Xander were both planning on driving me home," giggled Willow. She quenched her laughter at the hurt look in Buffy's eyes as the blonde really registered Willow's relaxed position against Angel's chest and the casual way Angel slung his arm around the hacker's shoulders. 

Buffy just bit her bottom lip and nodded. "I guess I'll . . . see you tomorrow," she said, and ran back towards the school in the direction of the library. 

"What is going on?" demanded Cordelia from behind Xander. "The car seats are really _hot_, and the sooner we get going, the better." She did a double take. "Oh, hi, Angel."

"What's this?" cried Xander. "No surprise? No shock? No oh-my-goodness?"

"I've already _seen_ Angel in the sunlight," pointed out Cordelia. "Remember when he brought Willow to the library? Half hour after dawn. Came back in the afternoon? Sat in front of the open windows? He-lloooooooooo."

Xander grumbled something about women being too damn observant for anyone's good. Cordelia slapped him on the shoulder and he drew her around for a kiss.

It was a very long kiss. Angel and Willow just looked at each other with raised eyebrows until it ended, and then—"Omigosh! We're in _public_! In _public_! Xander, I hate you in public! You know that!" cried Cordy—but she didn't back out of his arms.

"Well, if it's all ok with everyone, I'll be going now," began Willow. Xander and Cordy looked up guiltily and began to speak simultaneously:

"Sorry--"

"Of course we'll go now--"

"No," said Willow firmly. "You two can go somewhere shady in Cordy's car and have smootchies like you were planning." They immediately looked guilty. "And Angel will drive me home—right, Angel?"

He took his arm from around her shoulders and picked up her bag. "Sure, Wills."

Oblivious to Xander and Cordelia's protests, Angel and Willow walked across the ground to Angel's car and got in, Angel chivalrously holding the passenger door open for Willow before getting in himself.

"Ah, love," murmured Cordy, watching the car drive away. 

"Indeed," murmured Xander in response. Then he realized Cordelia was talking about Angel and Willow, and he freaked. "Love? What are you talking about?""Xander!" exclaimed Cordelia. "We're still in public!" She dragged him over to her car. "Get _in_!" she said forcefully. Xander took a look at her face and meekly scrambled inside.

* * * 

"Here we are . . ." Angel pulled up in front of Willow's house and sopped the car.

"Park it in the garage and come on in," said Willow. Angel smiled crookedly at her and drove up the drive.

At the door to her house, Angel paused. "What is it, Angel?"

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"I have already, silly," giggled Willow. 

"I know," said Angel. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I just like to be reminded of it." Willow giggled again and turned to face him. Suddenly their faces were close . . . very close. Willow suddenly couldn't breathe, and she inhaled quickly. 

"Willow? Is that you?" It was Willow's mom.

"Yeah, mom, it's me! Angel too," she added, glancing at the slightly hurt expression on Angel's face as he stepped into her kitchen. 

"Cookies on the dining room table!" called her mother.

Willow grunted recognition and ran upstairs with Angel in tow. "No cookies?" asked Angel slyly. 

"There are other types of sweets, Angel," said Willow, trying to sound seductive and, in her own opinion, falling pretty short of the mark. Angel grinned and opened the door to her bedroom.

* * * 

He thought that every time he looked at her that he fell in love all over again. The way her hair fell over her eyes, the way she sheepishly tucked it behind her ears and then how it fell forwards again; the way her eyes lit up whenever he saw her; the way she closed her eyes and smiled shyly whenever she knew he was going to kiss her; the way, when he had his arms around her, that she'd turn once in a while and smile up at him. There was so much more he could name, but she'd made the greater parts of his thoughts romantic.He opened the car door for her and then shut it again once she got out. She opened the door to her house. Suddenly Angel remembered the time she'd invited him in after she'd restored his soul, and on impulse he stood a little bit outside the door after she'd gone in.

"Is something wrong, Angel?" He smiled and fell in love again.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" He adored the look of love but confusion on her pretty face. 

"I have already, silly," she said, smiling and giggling, leaning on the doorframe.

"I know," said Angel softly, remembering her first show of real trust. "I just like to be reminded of it." He leaned closer, and she did at the same instant. _We're going to kiss_, thought Angel, and he saw Willow close her eyes the way she always did when she thought they would kiss. _Closer . . . closer . . ._

"Willow? Is that you?" Willow gave a little gasp as she backed away a little from Angel. Collecting herself somewhat, she replied, 

"Yeah, mom, it's me!" Angel forced his face into a sad puppy look when she didn't mention his name. She glanced at him and grinned. "Angel, too!"

"Cookies on the dining room table!" called her mother, and Angel heard her open and close the front door and start her car. Willow tugged at Angel's hand and they went upstairs.

"No cookies?" asked Angel mournfully, struggling to keep a silly grin off his face. 

Willow, on the stair above him, bet down and touched his cheek. There are other kinds of sweets, Angel," she said hauntingly. Angel was amazed at himself and the way he wanted to drown in her limpid green eyes. _Falling in love again, eh, Angel_? He asked himself. He grinned again and opened her bedroom door.


	2. This Week On Jerry Springer...

****

Title: Any Day Now

****

Author: 

****

Rating: PG-13 to R

****

Summary: It's the sequel to Serendipity's spectaular story "When Stars Collide". We kind of went bonkers and changed the plot (i.e., swerved in a completely different direction so it's hardly recognizable but the origins are still important), so cave spectator! (Some nifty Latin for those of y'all that aren't geeks.) Anyway, have fun. Read. And the story is named after the song "Any Day Now" by Bif Naked.

****

Part II

Buffy walked around a bit aimlessly, knowing where she was heading but not wanting to, at least not while Angel was there. She knew the two were in love–she could tell by the slightly giddy expression on Willow's face whenever she saw Angel–and Angel himself had admitted to Buffy that he'd fallen for Willow, the night when Willow died.

Buffy didn't know how long Angel would be at Westminster Drive, but she was hoping not long. She really wanted to talk to Willow–she wasn't sure about what, exactly, but she knew she wanted to.

After meandering through the mall for two hours, not really looking, not buying anything, Buffy decided that Angel couldn't be there any longer. She walked out of the mall.

Worried, she glanced at the sky. It was getting dark early. She'd need to walk fast. She reached into her mini-backpack and got out her stake and cross. Looking at the necklace with the cross attached, she felt a wave of sadness. Angel had given her that necklace. Shaking her head to clear it of those melancholy thoughts, she slipped the necklace around her neck and clutched her stake tightly. 

She was nearly at Willow's house when a very large vampire jumped out of the shadows, aiming for her neck. She went through the drills: kick, punch, left, right, jump, kick again. Finally he was down, and she neatly staked him. Bending over the little dust pile, leaning on her knees, breathing hard, she didn't hear the quiet footsteps of four more vamps coming up behind her.   
Suddenly a leaf cracked. Buffy heard it, and heard the muffled curse that came with. She also saw the four vamps all launching themselves at her at one time. Then she saw what they were carrying: each had a long, metal pole that glinted evilly in the moonlight.

_That's what they killed Willow with! Long metal poles! _Buffy froze for a second, then the adrenaline of fear kicked in and she ran towards Willow's house. The vamps followed, close behind. 

_The balcony! The balcony is the only way I'll get inside in time!_ Buffy ran around the side of the house and jumped as high as her Slayer powers would let her, grabbing onto the bottom of the balcony. She swung her legs up and caught the railing. _Good, nearly there_. She pulled herself onto the side and sat there for a second, breathing hard. 

Then she heard the scrambling noises on the wall below and knew the vamps were climbing up. She jumped to her feet again and started to bang on the balcony door.

The curtains were closed, mostly. But through a tiny crack in the sweeps of cloth hiding Willow's room, she saw Willow. 

And Angel. 

Her bottom lip began to tremble a little and she wiped droplets from her eyes as she took in the scene: Willow. In Angel's lap. _In Angel's lap . . . _They were kissing. She saw the tenderness in Angel's touch as he stroked Willow's hair. _He used to touch my hair like that . . ._ She noticed the way Willow wrapped her arms around Angel's neck. _I used to do that . . . He used to be mine . . . _Buffy just stood there, on Willow's balcony, dejectedly watching her best friend make out with her old boyfriend.Then the more urgent matters caught up with her mind as a clawed hand grasped the railing. Buffy frantically began beating on the doors again, after trying the knob crazily and discovering it was locked. Through the crack in the curtains, she saw Willow and Angel look up, startled. 

Willow leaned down and touched noses with Angel and smiled. Then she got out of his lap and walked quickly to the door. Angel followed, a questioning look on his face.

_C'mon . . ._ Buffy dug her fingernails into her palms as the vamp got nearly all the way onto the balcony. _Couldn't he at least come up face first, and then I could kick him or stake him or something nice like that?_ Then Willow opened the doors.

"Buffy! Hey . . . what's up?" Buffy pointed. "Oh, I see," said Willow, nervously eyeing the pole that the vamp used to lever himself up with.

"What?" Angel pushed past them and then he saw the threat, too. "Spike's guys," he murmured as he stalked to the edge of the balcony. He calmly grasped the pole and yanked the vamp up by the shirt. "Who sent you? Spike?" The vamp nodded. "Buffy?" asked Angel sweetly without turning around.

Buffy gulped. "Yeah?"

"Stake, please." Buffy lowered her eyes and picked up the stake from where she'd dropped it on the balcony. The vamp shook his head fiercely and howled before he turned into dust and rained on the other three below.

"Quick," said Willow. "Inside, before they start vaulting up here and--" As she said it, the three of them _did_ vault up, and Angel pushed Buffy and Willow inside and slammed the door in the ugly faces of Spike's henchmen.

There was some hammering on the balcony door, but the vamps couldn't get in and everyone there knew it–they hadn't been invited. Buffy turned from staring defiantly out from between the curtains at the waiting vamps and found Angel's arms wrapped around Willow's waist. He was bent down with his chin resting on her shoulder, and he was whispering something–_probably something mushy,_ thought Buffy jealously–in her ear. 

Willow herself was shaking a little from fear and tears had come into her eyes. That was one thing Buffy couldn't feel bitterness towards Willow for–Willow had been quite literally killed by vamps who held poles exactly like that only two weeks before, and she felt no pressing need to reinact the experience. 

"Well!" said Buffy semi-cheerfully. "That was quite a party!"

Angel took his chin off of Willow's shoulder to look at Buffy, confused, but Willow kept staring at the floor, shaking and crying. "What are you talking about, Buffy?" Angel asked.

"The makeout party! You know, that was in occurance but suddenly came to a halt when I knocked?" 

Angel had the decency to look a little ashamed, and Willow glanced up from her invisible patch of extreme interest on the floor to look Buffy in the eye.

"Buffy, don't act like this," begged Willow. "Please."

Buffy couldn't look Willow in the eye anymore. She stared at her feet in their Skechers, and wiggled her toes nervously.

"Angel?" whispered Willow. "Could you find something interesting to do in the den for a couple of minutes? Buffy and I need to talk . . . about everything."

He nodded and touched her cheek. They stayed like that for a few moments and then remembered that Buffy was there. He walked out of the room and closed the door. They could hear his footsteps down the hallway.

"So . . ." Willow began. "Buffy, I know you're hurt . . ."

"Hurt doesn't even begin to describe it," Buffy hissed. "I mean, he told me he loved you. I knew. I did. But can't you take it slow? What about me? I did exist, didn't I? For several months? A year? _Two years!? _We were _together_! We were an us'. And just because you came along and happened to restore his soul, he feels obligated to--"

"Buffy, I restored his soul for _you_," Willow said quietly. "I made it permanent for him and for you and for me and for Giles and Xander and Jenny, who's not even here anymore, and for everyone in Sunnydale who might have been hurt by him, and everyone who was."

"I'm saying that you should take it slow, because you'll get hurt."

"Get hurt? Buffy, his soul is permanent, he's mostly _human_ for God's sake--"

"What I'm saying is he'll get tired of this little game. Don't you see, Willow? He's in this out of gratitude and because you roped him into this. He may have a permanent soul. He may have a heartbeat, and may go out in the sun. I don't know. It doesn't matter to me anymore, does it? But I'm willing to bet that when you were dying, you told him you loved him, didn't you?"

Willow, tears coming to her eyes, nodded.

"Right. I thought so. I may not get good grades, but I'm not stupid, either. So here's what I think--what was he supposed to do? He's broodboy, remember? He'd feel guilty for a century at _least_ for not telling you he felt the same way. So that's why he's here. He doesn't love you. He loves me. He's just too scared to say it."

Willow stood, staring at the girl that had used to be her best friend. "I think you'd better go, Buffy," she said quietly.

"Fine," the Slayer said, and made for the window.

"The front door," Willow whispered. "The vamps with their poles are still waiting on the balcony."

Buffy turned and left.

Her footsteps on the stair were loud, and Angel, who'd been pacing in the living room, came out in time to see her cross the hall to the front door. He was in front of it before she could reach for the knob. "What did you tell her?"

Buffy smiled at him. It was a cold smile. "Just the truth." Then she pushed past him and was gone.

Angel stood, confused, before the door for a moment, then ran up the stairs. "Willow?"

He stopped for a split second in the door to her bedroom. She was curled up on the floor, leaning a little against her bed, crying her heart out. "Willow, sweetie..." Angel was beside her in a moment, his arms around her. 

Willow indulged in the feel of him for a moment before she remembered... _What was he supposed to do?...He doesn't love you. He loves me. He's just too scared to say it...He's in this out of gratitude...He doesn't love you..._

"Oh, God," she whispered, and stiffened in his arms. He felt the change in her position and drew back a little, hurt. 

"What did she say to you?" he asked.

She sniffled. "It's okay, Angel."

"What?"

"You can leave. I understand..."

"What are you _talking_ about?"

"Buffy told me, Angel. And I get it. Really. You can stop pretending..."

"What did she tell you?" It was all Angel could do to keep from growling.

"Just the truth." It was the same thing Buffy had said.

"What. Did. She. Tell. You." 

Willow let out a broken sigh and began to cry again. 

"I love you, Willow," Angel said worriedly, hoping that would help. It made her cry more.

"No, no... you don't...." 

"Willow!" Angel couldn't have been more surprised. "What did Buffy say? Exactly."

"That... you were here... with me... because you felt obligated to be..." she stopped to catch her breath. "And that you really love Buffy..."

_Oh, God. She didn't. She couldn't..._ But apparently Buffy could lie to her best friend. And she had, quite effectively.

"Willow, I love you," Angel said, pulling her into his arms. "I swear."

She was too tired to pull away. Her sobs were quieter, just deep, quick breaths, and tears down her cheeks. Angel desperately tried to kiss them individually away. "Ssshhhhh..." He gently began to comb her hair with his fingers. After a while, she began to absently lean into his caress, and soon her breathing grew slower and even. She fell asleep in his arms.

With a sigh of relief, Angel lifted her into bed. She curled up even smaller, and hugged her pillow. She looked so... lost. 

Angel thought about that for a moment and got another flush of love for the small redhead as he realized she was lost without him. "Oh, Willow," he murmured, "I feel the same way." He smiled down at her, and then, finally, kicked off his shoes and climbed into her bed behind her, gently laying one arm on her waist.

During the night, she snuggled into his chest.

Willow woke up in the morning with Angel's arms around her, and with her cheek pressed to his chest. She sighed as she remembered everything Buffy had said, and then her breakdown the night before. Angel, sensing her shift in position, lifted his chin from the top of her head. "Are you okay, Willow?"

"What I said before---"

"–Is, by dictionary definition, bullshit. I love you. I'm not with you out of obligation or guilt. I don't love Buffy–and even if I did love her, and not you, which is NOT true, what she said to you last night would have completely altered my opinion of her, which it did anyway I thought she was a better person than that."

Willow sighed and settled back into Angel's arms. He kissed the top of her head and looked thoughtfully out her windows.

* * *

Giles quietly mused the actions of the teenagers–and vampire–in the library.

Willow and Angel had entered together, holding hands, which was unsurprising, considering the information he'd received through Xander. Buffy, however, instead of looking sorrowful as he had expected, looked positively outraged, and looked ready to charge her best friend.

_Best, _Giles thought a little worriedly. _From the look on Buffy's face, I'd guess former best. I thought she was more mature than that_

Xander and Amy had immediately disappeared into the stacks, which had obviously hurt Cordelia a lot. She'd stayed in her spot for a moment, breathing hard, until the tears came. Then she ran off to the bathroom. Willow, distraught, had immediately gotten up from her perch on the arm of Angel's chair and run after her. They were both gone for a good half an hour, but they returned together. Cordelia's hairstyle had been altered–it was pulled back in several braids and a ponytail–Giles wasn't sure how to describe it, exactly, but he'd heard somewhere that, when upset, females found having their hair brushed comforting, so he silently thanked Willow and the stars and returned to his Codex. 

Giles sneaked a glance at his Slayer. Buffy was in the same position as she had been twenty minutes ago, staring at the same page. Her expression was angry as her eyes traveled the length of the text. Finally, she sighed and tossed the book aside, picking up another.

Giles, confused, dragged the book over to his side of the table and opened the huge volume to around the same section as what Buffy had been reading. After pawing through a couple of pages, he found what Buffy had been looking at, and froze.

__

From the Shadow of the Light

Comes Love of Dark, who shines so bright

Firewitch, who saved the Dark

And made It Good from in her heart

Now the former Shadow rises

Leaves behind all that She prizes

Except the Darkness, the one she Loves

She is wrapped with Powers from Above

__

The Light shall fall to make the next

Soon after she has read this text

The Shadow the Light shall become

But must give the Light to a precious One

The precious One she's known from birth

Dark or the One–which will come first?

The choice by Shadow will be made

The plan set, the Game played

The One has a Heart he holds dear

But to lose himself is his greatest fear

The Heart the Shadow keeps as friend

And all Four will battle till the End

The End approaches ever faster

To halt It means to stop the Master

The First one, killed at Harvest time

The Second one still plots his crime

The Choice is made, the Game is ready

The Sacred Four continue steady

And when Stars scream and Boulders weep

Three will live but One will sleep

"Buffy."

She jumped a little in her seat and looked up. "Giles?"

"I found something. Would you like to see it?"

"Um I kinda think I might have found somethingmaybe later?"

"Oh, no, Buffy, I insist. You were looking at it a little while ago, and is probably vital, although you didn't realize it. Come here and let me explain my suspicions."

Warily, Buffy rose from her seat across the table from him and came over to look at the book. As Giles had expected, she paled and stiffened. "Wh-what do you think it means?"

"Well it really doesn't bode well for you, Buffy." This was true, as well as extremely unfortunate. Giles had a bit of trouble holding onto his anger for his Slayer as he fully realized what the prophecy meant. "Get the others over here, would you? We'll dissect it verse by verse."

Buffy's eyes narrowed, but she reluctantly went to bring the others over. Cordelia looked up as she climbed the stairs to the stacks, and Giles and Willow both saw, at the same time, that she'd been crying again. The redhead gently kissed her boyfriend on the forehead and made her way towards Cordelia. She had been sitting right next to the stacks, and Buffy, walking down the stairs after trying to break up Xander and Amy's current makeout session, bumped into Willow.

"Sorry," Willow murmured, looking down. Buffy held her chin up and pushed by. Willow looked as if she'd been slapped, and stood quite still for a moment, but then she collected herself and bent to Cordelia. 

Giles watched all this with raised eyebrow, and when Buffy came back over to sit down, he said, "I didn't see you tell Cordelia, Willow, or Angel that I wanted them over here."

"Angel's a vampire," Buffy hissed. "He can hear you."

"Willow can't," Giles pointed out amiably. "I think you need to speak with her anyway."

"Giles, this isn't your business!" Buffy exclaimed. 

"Yes, it is," Giles said calmly. "It's my library, and you are my charge, and the tension in here is killing me."

"We're getting along _fine_, Giles," Buffy said tightly, through her teeth.

"No, you're not."

"Leave me alone about this. I'll take care of it my own way."

"Staking Angel or slapping Willow or ignoring both of them until this prophecy takes place is not even remotely prudent."

"You don't even know what it means."

"Yes, I do. And so do you."

"This isn't your destroyed love life, Giles. You have _no idea_ how I feel"

"No. I don't. But do _you_ know how Willow felt after what you said to her? About Angel?"

Buffy slammed her hands down on the table. "How do you know about that?"

"I asked Angel, and he told me."

"He had no right to"

"Look, Buffy, I'm not going to argue this with you anymore. You know what's right. You fight for it everyday. You were doing what was right before Willow and Angel fell in love, and, if you don't mind my being blunt, do you want to be on murderous terms with your best friend when this prophecy takes place?"

"Just say it, Giles. I'm gonna die again, aren't I? And this time, for good?"

"Oh, Buffy" At a loss for anything else to do, he held out his arms for a hug, but she just stared at him for a long moment before turning and walking over to Willow.

"Wills?" Willow looked up, practically afraid to meet Buffy's eyes because of the hatred that would lie there. To her surprise, there wasn't quite as much as had been there five minutes ago. "We need to talk."


	3. Blood

****

Title: Any Day Now

****

Author: 

****

Rating: PG-13 to R

****

Summary: It's the sequel to Serendipity's spectaular story "When Stars Collide". We kind of went bonkers and changed the plot (i.e., swerved in a completely different direction so it's hardly recognizable but the origins are still important), so cave spectator! (Some nifty Latin for those of y'all that aren't geeks.) Anyway, have fun. Read. And the story is named after the song "Any Day Now" by Bif Naked.

****

Part III

__

Three weeks later

"Okay, guys," Willow said finally. " Um it's late, and stuff, and I think my nails have been done sooooo many times that they might drop off, so I'm gonna go home."

Cordelia's bedroom was filled with disappointed cries of, "Ooooh.." and "Are you sure?" and "But just one more layer of sparkles"

"No. Guys. Seriously, I gotta go. It's 2:15 now, and I told Angel I'd be home by 2:30."

"Oh, well," Buffy said with a laugh, "if _Angel_ said so" Everybody giggled. After a week of carefully enforced conversation sessions' by Giles, Buffy and Willow had managed to clear up the weirdness that was their friendship, and Willow had forgiven Buffy for her breakdown at her house, and Buffy had mostly come to terms with Willow and Angel's relationship.

"Can't you just call him and tell him you're sleeping over?" Amy said, sticking out her lower lip in an overemphasized pout.

"Um" Willow began a little awkwardly, "He's expecting something to happen tonight"

A chorus of taunting "oooooo"'s filled the room.

"No, no no!" Willow protested, turning bright red. "Something Hellmouthy."

Another collective sound, this time of understanding "aaaaaah"'s, was to be heard.

"Well, in _that_ case," Buffy said, "I should walk you home."

"Oh! No, it's okay, Buffy. I'll be fine."

Buffy raised a perfectly penciled eyebrow. "Yeah, right. And I haven't died before." God, how it hurt to make _that_ quip. After all, she was expected to die again soon, and like she'd said to Giles, _this time for good._

And she still hadn't told any of them. Not Willow, not Xander, not Amy or Cordelia, not Angel. Only Giles knew, and she'd convinced him not to tell anyone. She didn't want to be coddled for the last days –weeks, months?—of her life. 

Willow sighed, bringing Buffy back to their conversation. "Fine, Buffy. I'm sorry to drag you away from the party." There was a lot of scrambling for nail polishes—Buffy had like twenty-five different colors, as did everybody else, so they had to be sorted—and whose hair thing was whose, and then finally shoes and socks were found under the bed and Buffy and Willow said goodbye and headed home.

They walked to Willow's house slowly, arm in arm, chatting softly. The streetlights were dim, but Buffy was the Slayer, after all, so neither worried. Finally Willow interrupted their talk of history grades.

"Buffy, there's something wrong, isn't there? Something that doesn't have to do with, you know, the me and Angel thing?" Buffy sighed and bit her lip. Willow grabbed her arm and stopped walking. "Was it that prophecy Xander mentioned? That Giles wanted us to come look at but he made us figure stuff out first? Or am I just paranoid? I'm just paranoid, aren't I?"

Buffy was beyond shocked. How could Willow know? How much did she know?

"What do you know about that prophecy, Wills?"

Willow furrowed her eyebrows. "Nothing. I just know there is one. That's the problem, isn't it?"

Buffy was silent.

"What did the prophecy say, Buffy?"

"I'm going to die" Willow gave a little cry and drew Buffy into a hug. Buffy let a small sigh into Willow's shoulder, and they stood there for a little while in each other's embrace, both letting the tears come silently.

"Oh, Buffy" Willow sniffed and leaned back a little. "What else? Don't you have to do something?"

"Oh, God, Willow, the next Slayer—it's gonna be--"

And that was when the vampires attacked.

Distracted by the heavy emotional situation, Buffy hadn't noticed the vampires surrounding them. There were five, tall, wide brutes and each toted a long, metal pole. The ends of the poles were vaguely rust-colored, as though they'd been used before. With a sickening lurch to her stomach, Buffy realized who they'd been used on. She snuck a glance at Willow, who kept taking little steps back, towards an alley.

And then she bumped into Spike.

"'Ello, pets," he said jovially, taking a puff on a cigarette. "Lovely evening, isn't it?" When neither girl answered, he shrugged. "I think so. Anyway, how's me granddaddy doing? I heard he's supposedly changed his preferences." Spike gave a suggestive wink to Willow, who now stood next to Buffy. She briefly gave him a disgusted look, then decided it might be better to _not_ provoke one's vampire acquaintances.

"Ready to have a little fun?" Spike asked, raising a scarred eyebrow. He lifted his chin a bit towards his minions, then gave a tiny nod. "Get em."

* * *

The phone rang.

* * *

They all attacked at once. Two ran at Willow, while three took Buffy. The poles came down on Willow, hard. At first they didn't get anything too badly. She got a pole in the stomach, which doubled her over, but they kept aiming for the stomach, which was, she reflected absently, behind the pain, better than having her neck broken.

The vamps fighting Buffy were having a little trouble. She was fighting panic-stricken, which made her kicking and punching frenzied, which repeatedly knocked them down. Finally, after about five minutes of watching his minions fight the Slayer with no success, Spike gestured to one of the vamps fighting Willow to join the ones fighting Buffy.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Angel? Hey. It's Amy."

* * *

Buffy was weakening. She was getting tired. The vamp that was watching Willow was kind of slow, so he'd knocked her feet out from under her a few times as well as the wind out of her, but not much worse, so he took the time when Willow was curled up on the ground to watch what the other were doing.

They were all attacking her at once—coming in with the ends of their poles raised high and jabbing repeatedly. Buffy could only dodge four vamps so well, and her stake had been pickpocketed from her right before she'd begun to fight. It was lying farther down the alley, far beyond her reach. 

A pole jabbed her hard right in the shoulderblade, and she stumbled.

* * *

"Is something wrong?"

"No...not yet. Willow and Buffy left for Willow's place like ten, fifteen minutes ago—I was just calling to tell you, cause they left a little late."

"Fifteen minutes ago? They should be here by now."

* * *

Buffy fell to the ground, wrapping her arms around her head in her best defensive gesture. The poles continuously slammed down. The shots got better and better—first, one vamp hit her in the ribs, breaking the bottom one and digging the fragmented bone into _something_ inside that hurt like hell. Then the poles that hit her pelvic bone and broke it, twisting her leg round in an angle she'd never been able to manage, even when she had taken gymnastics when she was little. Then one pole hit her hand off her head and ground her fingers into the cement. She turned her head in a sick desire to look at the bloody mess that had been her stake-wielding hand, and a pole caught her jaw.

* * *

"They're not there yet? Look out the window--"

"They're not coming, Amy. I can sense Buffy two blocks away, and I can smell Willow."

"D'you think something's happened? Oh, God"

"Wait—I smell something--"

* * *

As a red haze fell over her eyes and pain overtook every sense she had, Buffy wondered if this was how Willow felt the time _she'd_ died. 

The vampires beat Buffy's still body uselessly for a few moments as Willow cried and got a half-hearted swipe to the back with a pole for it.

And then they all turned on her.

* * *

"Smell something? What?"

"I'm out on the porch. Oh. Oh. Oh my GOD--"

"Angel? What? What is it?"

"Blood--"

* * * 

Willow screamed as all the poles came down on her, just like last time. 

Then the power infused her, and she knew what to do.

* * *

"Oh, God. Angel, run--"

"I know."

Click.

Click.

* * *

She fought like she'd only seen Buffy fight. The moves were commands: instant, futile to resist. _Kick right. Duck. Punch up. Slide. Kick again. Kick, kick, punch_

But it was barely enough.

Slowly the vamps cornered her again, forced her back up against the wall. She had no room. How could she move?

Then one more vampire entered the scene, but this one fought with her. Relieved, she ducked away from one pole, only to have another crush the bones in her left wrist.

Angel heard the one he loved scream in pain and the reaction was instantaneous. She was among the vamps like a maniac, fighting as though he himself was a Slayer. Quickly, he staked two vamps and went to help Willow to dispatch of the rest. She was fighting nearly as well as he was, but she had no stake to finish off the vamps she at least temporarily disabled. 

"Willow!" Her head flew up, and then she shot her good arm up and caught the stake he threw to her. She wielded the stake at a vamp that was snarling at her throat and he backed off; but then at some unspoken command, the three remaining vamps abandoned Willow and jumped Angel at once.

Willow turned and came face-to-face with Spike.

"Lovely fighting there, _Slayer_," he hissed. "Never would have guessed that _you'd_ be the next one" Willow threw a punch that knocked his head to one side. "Nice," he commented icily as he kicked her extremely sore stomach. "I guess you spent a lot of time watching Buffy, huh? Wondering if you could be like her?" A knife hidden somewhere in his sleeves found Willow's cheek, and a long red line was swiftly drawn from her chin to her hairline on the left side of her face, barely missing her eye. She was now squinting out of her left eye, and blood trickled down her face. 

"Well, now you're just like her" Spike continued in a more casual tone of voice as he blocked a kick she aimed at his thigh. Then, somehow, he grabbed hold of her long hair in one hand and her shattered wrist in the other, and pulled her against his chest. "At the cost of her life, of course."

Tears trickled out of Willow's eyes from pain and sorrow, and the blood covering the left side of her face became watery and dripped along her nose and down her neck.

Angel staked the last vamp and came up behind Spike, who started at the large hand almost completely encircling his neck.

"Let her go," Angel growled in his ear, "or I break your neck."

"Sure thing, dad," Spike said with a grin. He slipped away before Angel could react or stake him, and Willow fell backwards, unconscious from pain, into Angel's arms.

Angel just caught her, and held her to his chest as he leaned against the alley wall. There was so much blooda lot of it Willow's, a little of it his, but most of it Slowly, Angel allowed his eyes to go to the main source of the blood he could smell, and that was Buffy. 

She was lying on her side in a pool of her own blood. Her legs were twisted around, facing up. Her face was pale except for the splashes of red that trickled from wounds in her head, and her hair was thick with blood.

Angel swallowed and slid down the wall into an awkward sitting position, cradling Willow's torso in his lap. He stared at Buffy's prone form for about an hour, and then Willow began to stir in his arms. "Willow?" He bent his head to try and look her in the eye. "Sweetie?"

She gave a tiny choked cry in the back of her throat and tried to sit up. She made it to lying, propped on an elbow (which Angel supported), and then she fell back down. "My back--"

"Ssshh. It's okay" Angel tenderly wiped blood away from the knife slash on her face, and winced when she did. "Sorry." His fingers gently grazed her lip, and she kissed them.

"It's okay," she whispered. Willow tried to turn around again. "Where's Buffy?"

"Oh, Willow"

"Where is she?" Willow was crying. "Please, Angel"

"You don't want to see it, Willow," he said is gently as he could.

"Oh, God." She laid her head in his lap again and wrapped her arms around his waist, grabbing fistfuls of the back of his shirt.

"Willow, I have to get up and get a phone." Her grip on his shirt got tighter. 

"Don't leave me here..."

"Can you get up?"

Another sob. "I'll try."

It took about ten minutes for them to figure out a way for Willow to get up without bending her back too much or bending over her bruised stomach. She had stopped sobbing by the time she stood, but there were silent tears trickling down her cheeks and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. Angel was near tears as well, but it was from seeing her in so much pain and not being able to do anything about it.

"Okay. We'll count the steps, alright?" Willow gave him a tiny, grateful smile, and took a step.

"One... two... three..."

"Buffy..." It was a whisper, a tiny bit of breath she had let escape. Angel looked down at the top of her head and saw the direction in which she was turned. He stood, silent, as Willow limped over to the body of her best friend and painfully knelt to see her face. For a long moment Willow crouched there, and then she stretched out a hand to push a lock of hair, sticky with blood, away from Buffy's eyes. Angel noticed, sickened, that the blood in Buffy's hair made no difference to Willow's hand because she was so bloody already.

"Angel?" Her voice was small. Angel was behind her in a second, ready to help her back up. 

"I'm here."

"Did I look like this?" With much effort, Willow turned her head to look him in the eye. Her gaze was afraid. Angel turned his head away. "Oh, Angel--" She held out her right hand to him. "I'm sorry..." He knelt to her and gently placed his hands on her waist to lift her back up.

"We have to call Xander," he said. "You need help." She nodded, and they walked back towards the entrance to the alleyway, counting the steps away from Buffy.

* * * 

They had to walk for a couple of blocks to get to a pay phone. 

Upon searching his pockets Angel found that he did, indeed, have change and they wouldn't need to call collect. Willow leaned painfully back against the phone booth, and Angel gently touched her cheek in a comforting gesture as the phone in the library rang.

Giles picked it up after the third ring. "Hello?" He sounded worried. _And well he should be,_ Angel thought.

"It's Angel. I'm on Winchester Street. I need you to drive down _fast_, so use Cordelia's car. Willow's hurt badly, but she can't go to the hospital because they'll ask questions. You've got to hurry—she'll need a splint for her wrist and for her back... can you have splints for a back? I'm babbling. Oh, God... Willow, are you okay? Try to stand up, honey..." She had slowly slid down the side of the phone booth and was scrunched into a ball, with tears of pain drawing pale rivers in the blood on her face.

"I'm okay," she said tightly, through clenched teeth. "Talk to Giles."

"Yeah..." he said, and turned his attention back to the phone.

"Angel? Are you there?" Giles was saying anxiously.

"Yeah, Rupert, I'm here."

"I'm sending Xander and Cordelia down in her car."

"Thanks."

"Oh!" Giles exclaimed suddenly. "Where's Buffy?"

Silence.

"Where's Buffy, Angel."

"I don't know how I can possibly tell you this, Rupert..."

"No. Oh, no..."

"I am so sorry, Rupert..."

"No..."

"Sit down. Xander is almost here. I've got to go."

There was a click as Giles slowly hung up. 


End file.
